"What? My second husband was also assassinated? Grandma, do you know who did it?"
Hearing Olenna's words, Margaery, who was sitting beside the big goose down bed, immediately raised her head and stared at her grandmother and asked.
"We're not sure yet! Since the independence of the Riverbend Kingdom, there have been many forces inside and outside the kingdom that are keeping a close eye on our Tyrell family. However, it shouldn't be a small force that can quietly plant people around us to poison us."
Olenna shook her head to indicate to Margaery, and then calmly analyzed the general information about the poisoner. She pondered for a moment and then gave instructions to the twin guards,
"Left hand, ask the steward of the inner castle to collect information on all servants and guards. Screen out the suspicious people who have been close to Renly II today."
"Um!"
The tall and burly man with his left hand responded in a deep voice and walked out of the king's palace. At this time, an anxious-looking guard passed him by and came to Olenna to salute and report:
"Mrs. Olenna, Lord Vilas has brought someone back!"
"Huh? Vilas? Calculating the time, they should have just arrived in Blackport City! Could it be that he knew in advance that something was going to happen in Highgarden through other channels, so he turned back in advance?"
After hearing the guard's report, Olenna immediately frowned and muttered to herself. At the same time, she felt an inexplicable irritability in her heart.
As the actual controller of the Tyrell family, Olenna has always done things carefully and with full certainty.
The sudden events that happened today made her feel irritated that the situation was getting out of control.
"By the way, Sir Vilas's armor is covered with blood, as if he had fought not long ago. And he only brought back nearly a thousand cavalry this time."
The guard seemed to remember something after reporting the main events, and he continued to report.
"Brother is covered in blood. Is he injured? Where is he now?"
After Margery heard the guard's report, she immediately asked loudly with a concerned look on her face.
Her pretty face showed genuine concern at this moment, which was completely different from the way she cried just now because of the death of the little king.
This is because Willas has a gentle personality and cares about his younger brothers and sisters. When he was in the High Court, he often read books with Margaery and drew the patterns she wanted for her.
Among the younger generation of the Tyrell family, Margaery is the gentle eldest brother besides being close to Loras, who is similar in appearance to her.
"Well, Mr. Vilas is probably not injured. But he is not very easy to move and walks slower than me. He should be here soon!"
The guard was stunned by Margery's loud question. After he recovered, he immediately answered.
Just as the guard said, a few minutes later, Vilas, wearing blood-stained armor, walked quickly into the king's palace with a cane engraved with a rose family emblem.
As soon as he saw Olenna, he spoke very quickly: "Grandma, please tell Father quickly to lead the troops back to Highgarden!
Tywin Lannister pretended to be an alliance with us, and his attack on the Westerlands was a scam designed by him. I suspect that his target is our Kingdom of the River!"
"Vilas, don't worry, tell me the matter in detail!"
Olenna's heart suddenly sank after she roughly understood what Villas meant. She asked him to explain the matter in detail with a cold face.
“When the 30,000 River Kingdom army led by me headed towards the grassland area of Nightsong City, we were ambushed by a combined army of the Martell family, the Lannister family and the Stormlands noble families led by Oberyn Martell.
When I retreated to Star Shuttle City with my family's cavalry, Kevan Lannister and Titus Peake led a large army to intercept me. I finally broke through their siege under the desperate cover of my family's cavalry.
Then return to High Court as quickly as possible to report to you!"
Vilas took a few deep breaths to calm down the wheezing from running so fast, and then recounted his experience in detail in one breath.
Pah! Pah! Pah!
After listening to Villas' detailed report, Olenna, who always presented herself as an old woman with a venomous tongue, grabbed the precious ornaments placed on the bedside table next to her and smashed them to pieces on the solid wood floor.
"What a Tywin Lannister! He first throws out the sweet bait to lure us in, and then worries that our behemoth will drag him, a thin fisherman, into the water and kill him.
So I simply called two other skinny fishermen to divide us up together!
I am afraid that the assassination of Renly II was also done by him! After the independence of the Reach Kingdom, our Tyrell family gradually began to transition to a royal family, and more or less began to suppress other nobles of the Reach Kingdom.
Moreover, those ancient nobles who still have the blood of the Gardener family have long been dissatisfied with us.
We first mobilized most of the family's troops to go to the West, then lost nearly half of the troops left behind, and finally lost the banner of Renly II.
Now will be the best time for them to unite with the Lannister family and overthrow our Tyrell family!
Hahaha, during the day today, I was still planning the grand blueprint for the expansion of the Riverbend Kingdom, but I didn’t expect that at night, the moment would come that was related to the survival of the family!”
After smashing everything she could to break her hands and venting her inner irritation, Olenna connected the known information and conducted a detailed analysis of the situation facing the Tyrell family.
But at the end of the sentence, she looked up to the sky and laughed uncontrollably.
"grandmother!"
Having never seen Olenna like this before, Margaery stepped forward and held her wrinkled, dry hands with a worried look on her face.
Olenna patted the back of Margaery's soft and white hand with her backhand, then turned to look at Willas and asked: "Willas, how much time do we have?"
"Most of Kevan and Titus' troops outside Star Shuttle City are infantry. It will take at least two days for them to clear up the battlefield today and rush to Highgarden. If they wait for Oberyn's troops near Nightsong City to join forces, then at least
Add another day or two!”
Upon hearing Olenna's question, Vilas simply calculated it in his mind and blurted it out.
"Four days at most? Even the Yangji Hall can't make it in this time!"
"Grandma, I can make preparations to defend the city in advance. Bring all the villages and towns around Gaoting into the city, and then burn the surrounding resources.
By doing this, we should be able to hold on until Father returns to High Court with an army of 50,000 men!"
Seeing the thoughtful expression on Olenna's face, Villas followed the meaning of her words and spoke.
"Even if he persists until he comes back with his family army, the outcome of the battle between the two sides is uncertain!
If Randyll Tarly was the commander, I wouldn't have such worries. But this time, I personally asked your father to command the army. With his character, he would never delegate power to Randyll Tarly at such a critical moment.
Alas, our Tyrell family has lost this game from the very beginning!"
Olenna shook her head after hearing Vilas' words and sighed heavily. He seemed to have seen how the situation would develop in the next few days.
"grandmother……"
"Lady Olenna, there are three envoys claiming to be members of the Lannister family coming to visit at the gate of the inner castle!"
Just when Vilas wanted to continue talking, another guard hurried into the palace to report.
"At this time? The Lannister family messenger?"
After hearing the guard's report, Vilas confirmed with a look of surprise.
"Yes, we have verified the visit document submitted by the other party, and the formalities and seals on it are complete."
"Hey, Tywin Lannister is paying attention to noble etiquette at this time. Willas, Margaery, let's go! Go to the throne room to meet the envoy of the Lannister family.
Our Tyrell family has never failed to behave in aristocratic manners!"
Olenna sneered when she heard this, then greeted her grandchildren and walked first towards the throne room in Highgarden.
Margaery looked at Willas first, and then immediately rushed to Olenna's side, holding her right hand and walking together.
Villas glanced at his blood-stained armor, turned around and asked the servants in the King's Palace to go to his bedroom to get a new set of clothes, and then limped away with his cane in hand.
As for the body of Renly II, who had a noble status when he was alive on the velvet bed, it was placed there alone and no one cared about it, as if it was as worthless as an unknown corpse on the battlefield.
The throne room in Highgarden was the former meeting hall of the Tyrell family, but half of the original golden rose reliefs and decorations were missing and replaced with the crowned stag of the Baratheon family.
"Queen Margaery, Lady Olenna, Ser Willas. I, Tirek Lannister, send my heartfelt greetings to you on behalf of Lord Tywin!"
A young man with green eyes and shoulder-length blond curly hair entered the throne room and spoke a very mechanical and insincere greeting.
This young man named Tirek could tell from his appearance that he belonged to the Lannister family. He was followed by two older followers. They stood aside silently and did not introduce themselves.
"You don't have to be so polite, Tirek Lannister. Since you came to visit so late, there must be something important. Please explain your purpose!"
After hearing this, Willas, who put on a noble dress with golden roses embroidered on the chest, stood up and asked Tirek straight to the point.
"We are here to visit this time to deliver a letter to Lord Tywin! Well, His Majesty Renly II is not here, so this is the letter!"
Tirek saw that Willas went straight to the topic as soon as he came up, so he directly answered the purpose of his visit.
But this young man was very upright. He took out two letters with paint from his arms, then looked at the empty Rose Throne, and then handed over the letter in his right hand.
Seeing this, Willas turned back to look at Olenna, who had a serious face, and then tilted his head to signal the guards in the throne room to go get the letter.
When the guard brought the letter back to Vilas, he did not take it immediately. Instead, he observed the guard's hands for a while to make sure there was nothing abnormal, and then took the letter.
There is no way, Highgarden has just experienced a poisoning and assassination incident, so you should be cautious!
After confirming that the fire seal with the emblem of the Raging Lion family was intact, Villas opened the letter and read it.
It's just that the more he read the letter, the uglier his face became. In the end, his face experienced changes in many expressions such as shock, fear, happiness, etc.
"Willas, what did Tywin Lannister write in the letter?"
Seeing that her grandson seemed to be performing facial art, Olenna couldn't help but ask.
Willas limped to the position between Olenna and Margaery, lowered his voice and said: "Although the letter is full of metaphors and vague references, judging from the meaning he expressed,
, it was indeed Tywin who poisoned Renly II.
Moreover, he also pointed out the crisis that grandma just analyzed that our Tyrell family is facing.
He expressed in very certain words that he will definitely be able to capture Highgarden with the nobles of Dorne, Stormlands, and the River Kingdom, capture the River Kingdom, and destroy our Tyrell family!"
Poof!
Hearing this, Olenna slapped the deputy hand of her high-backed bench with her left hand with an angry face. Margaery also looked angry and gritted her teeth.
"However, as long as our Tyrell family can surrender to the Lannister family, donate half of our troops, food, grass, equipment and other materials to them, and marry Margaery to Tommen Baratheon.
This crisis of genocide for the Tyrell family will turn into an unprecedented opportunity!"
"Opportunity? Brother, did you misread the word?"
Hearing this, Margery looked sideways at Vilas and asked.
"Yes, it's an opportunity! He said that as long as our Kingdom of the River Reach declares its return to the Iron Throne's jurisdiction, we show our sincere surrender.
Then, the siege of Highgarden will evolve into a deadly trap targeting the rebellious nobles of the Stormlands, Dorne, and the River Kingdom.
Most of the Stormlands' troops have been lost in the West, and are now their last troops. Dorne has also been damaged to its core through the internal fighting of the Yronwood family.
As long as the last of their forces are destroyed outside Highgarden, the Lannister and Tyrell families can easily obtain the Stormlands, Dorne, and Dorne March.
When the time comes, the promise he made to grandma will still remain unchanged, and our two families will still be the top families in Westeros!"
hehe!
In Tywin's eyes, he doesn't have any allies at all. As long as the benefits are achieved, he can sell any allies in an instant.
Moreover, his ultimate goal is not just the Reach Kingdom, but to have the Reach Kingdom re-reduced to the Reach after paying half of its foundation, and at the same time gain actual control of the three regions of Stormland, Dorne, and Dorne Frontier.
right.
After telling the contents of the letter, Villas did not disturb grandma who was thinking seriously.
Doubtful, he took a few steps to the front and asked Tirek: "Lord Tirek, when I entered the city, I ordered the soldiers guarding the city to close the city gate. How did you enter without our permission?
From Highgarden?”
"Sir Vilas, you're welcome. I'm not a 'sir'. Just call me by my name. Oh, we arrived at Highgarden nearly a month ago and have been waiting for it!"
Upon hearing Willas's question, Tirek, who has an upright personality, answered directly.
hiss!
Hearing Tirek's words, even though she likes to pretend to be harmless, Olenna, who is in a deep city, couldn't help but take a breath.
"The time they returned to Highgarden was about the same time I came back from King's Landing! All of this was within Tywin Lannister's calculations, and there was no error at all!
Haha, I said at the beginning that this male lion has reached the end of the day and cannot even deal with a wolf cub!
Unexpectedly! No matter how old he is, he is still a chess player who can dominate Westeros!
However, this made me more curious about Robb Stark. How did he defeat this terrifying opponent one after another?"
"Grandma, maybe it's magic! I heard the bards of Highgarden singing that Robb Stark, who looks ferocious and likes to eat human flesh raw, has the evil magical power to freeze everything!"
Margaery, who heard Olenna's whisper, directly told the rumors she had heard about Robb during this period.
"Hehe, silly girl, you can really believe such a rumor!"
Olenna, who was originally shocked by Tywin's methods, was directly amused by Margaery. She teased Margaery, then turned to Tirek and said loudly,
"Tyrek, please stay in Highgarden for a few days. The content of Lord Tywin's letter is extremely important. Our family must discuss it in detail before we can reply to you!"
"This is as it should be, Lady Olenna! Lord Tywin has instructed that the deadline for replying is before Highgarden is attacked!"
"Okay! You guys go to rest first!"
In fact, due to the limitations of her field of vision, Olenna did not understand Tywin's grand scheme. If Robb were here, he could instantly see that Tywin was gradually clearing out the rule in order to achieve his goals.
The various princes of the Seven Kingdoms.
He not only wants to establish the Lannister Kingdom, but also wants to establish the Lannister Empire!
If Tywin can really complete his ambitious hegemony, his achievements may be even greater than Aegon the Conqueror!